Amazon Fire Stick users just lost access to 'most abused' feature as giant cracks down on illegal streaming

The increase in sales for Fire Stick devices over the past few years is a bit of a double-edged sword for Amazon, as while the gadget is more popular than ever before, it's for a reason that won't necessarily delight the tech giant.

If you've not got a capable smart TV or simply want everything in one easy-to-access location, then there's few devices that'll work better for you than an Amazon Fire Stick.

You'll get access to all of your favorite streaming apps with a few extras on board, and there are even handy accessibility bonuses to make the experience suitable for everyone.

However, the rise in popularity and sales of Fire Sticks over the last few years has predominantly been due to its use in sophisticated illegal streaming methods, with people using 'dodgy' apps to livestream illegal Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services.

Amazon Fire Sticks have become the de facto device for illegal streaming in recent years (Michael Short/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

This is typically used for sports and has become incredibly popular with the ever-growing price of TV services amid a cost of living crisis, yet both the rights holders and Amazon are working to put an end to this 'concerning' trend.

The next major move in the fight against illegal streaming has seemingly been made by Amazon though, as reported by AFTV News, with Amazon removing the Fire Stick's 'most abused' feature in a blow to IPTV viewers.

It appears that you'll now be blocked outright from installing any apps that have been flagged for piracy by Amazon, preventing access to countless platforms that illegal streamers use to view content on the devices.

Previously there was merely a warning for flagged apps with users still able to open and use them, and then it shortly changed so that people could still install the apps but not open them.

Amazon has now blocked apps that people used to illegally stream TV, most commonly used for sports (Getty Stock)

Amazon have now banned it from both ends, blocking both the use and installation of these apps, likely leaving many users in a moment of crisis as their services have effectively been terminated.

Of course, part of the cat and mouse game that Amazon plays with the developers behind these apps means that new platforms will likely appear soon which will then be available for a brief period before being flagged for piracy, yet it does create a major hurdle that many Fire Stick users won't be willing to deal with.

Fire Sticks already have a new operating system named 'Vega' which blocks the sideloading of apps onto the device, meaning that you can now only access platforms through the official app store, making it harder than ever to use the gadgets for nefarious means.